L405 Range Rover to the Sahara - Maroc Challenge
Discussion
This is my first Reader's Cars entry, hopefully it's a good one!
In January I stumbled across the Yeti adventure to Tunisia for the Tunisie Challenge, as documented in this thread. WOW, I thought, adventure… but October isn't ideal for my schedule. Then I realised I could do the Maroc Challenge, run by the same company, at Easter. I also discovered this Cayenne thread, which was hugely inspiring and informative.
What car to take? Heart said Land Rover, head said Toyota. I have an ex-MOD 1986 soft top 90, but the thought of driving it further than 50 miles a day gives me a headache. Normally aspirated 2.5 diesel, no power steering, no sound deadening. Just no. I drove a Land Cruiser (Prado 120) and was a bit uninspired. I made a spreadsheet that spanned everything from a Jeep Cherokee XJ, Grand Vitara, Freelander 2, Hilux Surf, Shogun, Navara, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Touareg, Cayenne, RR Sport L320, RR L322, Land Cruiser Amazon.
My categories that I scored the candidates on were:
Light (ish)
Selectable 2wd / 4wd
Centre diff lock
Hi/ lo transfer box
Good ground clearance
Tough
In-line longitudinal engine
Reliable
Simple / easy fix
Cool
PTW
TTW
mpg (urban/extra/avg)
Fuel tank (l)
Range (on urban)
Decision paralysis set in. A lot of the contenders were old, rusty or undeserving of their bomb proof reputations. Time started to run out, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity, so I increased the budget from £5k ish to £10k. That brought bottom end Range Rover L405s into play, and once that realisation dawned, I knew what I was going for. No, it doesn't score well on all of the criteria above!
I used to work for Land Rover and Range Rovers were always above my pay grade as a company car. However, every time I drove one I loved them. Particularly L405 and L494 which impressed me no end at Eastnor Castle. Internally, L405 was always described proudly as the best off roader Land Rover made in terms of capability. I am about to find out if their best is good enough for Morocco.
To mitigate some potential disasters I bought a relatively simple L405, it's ‘just’ a 3.0 diesel Vogue, so no hydraulic anti roll, and the small V6 has some room around it unlike the V8s. Easier to see a rod through the side of the block, haha.
So my Range Rover (I have to admit I like saying that, much smugness) is a two owner car with decent enough history, in a fetching shade of gold, with 21 inch wheels, panoramic roof, TVs, fridge and side steps. Motorsport vibes: fully absent! Although strangely it was fitted with General Grabber all terrain tyres. A matching set which I read as an owner who has used it as intended (a vet, with a VERY nice house outside Tunbridge Wells).
Step 1: service! Sadly I couldn't see any evidence of a cambelt change, so that was a big one as it's part of a 112k mile service that includes a belt on the rear of the engine for the fuel pump. Lots of labour required. My local specialist couldn't fit me in for weeks, so I had to use Sytner. Fawning service, but OMG expensive. I had noticed an occasional judder on low speed tight turns and diagnosed that correctly with forum browsing as the transfer case fluid needing to be replaced and a calibration performed. Sure enough, that fixed it.
Step 2: wheels and tyres. I wanted as much sidewall as possible, but the minimum wheel size is limited to 19s I believe. There might be expensive aftermarket 18s that fit, or a Defender brake swap that would allow them, but I needed a cheap and OEM solution. The OEM 19 inch wheels are narrow, 7.5J for a 235 tyre. They're also set quite far into the wheel arches and look a bit lost to me. However, L663 Defender 19 inch wheels are 8J and have 255/65 tyres, often seen with road-oriented Continentals which look very baloon-ey. This outside diameter is close to 32 inches which is a bit bigger than L405. I didn't want to risk having a car that wouldn't move if the air suspension failed due to oversize tyres rubbing, so I compromised with 255/60. This is the same diameter a L405 should have, they just never offered this size from the factory on a 19. Tyres: proper all terrains (i.e. 50:50 road / off-road) was the goal, not mud terrains. Ideally I would have had BF Goodrich K02s a la Cayenne thread, but they don't make them in 19 inch. But Comforser make something that looks exactly like a K02 for less than half the price. What the hell is a Comforser CF1100 I hear you ask… basically a Chinese rip-off of a K02. I hate buying ‘budget’ tyres but these seem to get good reviews from people who have used them, even after using K02s. So, fingers crossed.
Step 3: remaining bits of service work. Front pads, new wheel nuts, diff oil front and rear, and a gearbox oil and filter change.
Step 4: bolt a second, OEM aluminium engine undertray directly under the original, doubling the thickness to 5mm. Maybe I should have fitted a third, at £50 on eBay they are cheap enough to do it.
How does it drive? Sweeter ride and steering on 19s than 21s for sure, it's a lovely, wafty, imperious thing. My daughter loves it. The tyres do hum above 60 but it's an expected trade off. The only annoyance is a speed and engine load related vibration. 70 on the flat or downhill is fine, but uphill there is a rumble, a flutter, a wobble… I don't know how to describe it other than it comes through the body rather than the wheel. I mentioned it to Sytner but they didn't notice anything (probably no hills near them to try at speed). Having browsed forums, it might be the rear diff.
I'm writing this in a hotel room in the middle of Spain, and tomorrow we head to Almeria to meet the other 169 teams ready to take on the Marco Challenge. I will update this as and when I can. My goal is to finish and drive home, not to risk everything and break it. Not least because my navigator is my 15 year old daughter!
Big thanks to Matt (aka poppopbangbang) for spending an hour with me recently to answer my questions and impart as much first hand Maroc experience as possible. Invaluable. And I'm loving my ARB compressor, thanks for the tip!
In January I stumbled across the Yeti adventure to Tunisia for the Tunisie Challenge, as documented in this thread. WOW, I thought, adventure… but October isn't ideal for my schedule. Then I realised I could do the Maroc Challenge, run by the same company, at Easter. I also discovered this Cayenne thread, which was hugely inspiring and informative.
What car to take? Heart said Land Rover, head said Toyota. I have an ex-MOD 1986 soft top 90, but the thought of driving it further than 50 miles a day gives me a headache. Normally aspirated 2.5 diesel, no power steering, no sound deadening. Just no. I drove a Land Cruiser (Prado 120) and was a bit uninspired. I made a spreadsheet that spanned everything from a Jeep Cherokee XJ, Grand Vitara, Freelander 2, Hilux Surf, Shogun, Navara, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Touareg, Cayenne, RR Sport L320, RR L322, Land Cruiser Amazon.
My categories that I scored the candidates on were:
Light (ish)
Selectable 2wd / 4wd
Centre diff lock
Hi/ lo transfer box
Good ground clearance
Tough
In-line longitudinal engine
Reliable
Simple / easy fix
Cool
PTW
TTW
mpg (urban/extra/avg)
Fuel tank (l)
Range (on urban)
Decision paralysis set in. A lot of the contenders were old, rusty or undeserving of their bomb proof reputations. Time started to run out, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity, so I increased the budget from £5k ish to £10k. That brought bottom end Range Rover L405s into play, and once that realisation dawned, I knew what I was going for. No, it doesn't score well on all of the criteria above!
I used to work for Land Rover and Range Rovers were always above my pay grade as a company car. However, every time I drove one I loved them. Particularly L405 and L494 which impressed me no end at Eastnor Castle. Internally, L405 was always described proudly as the best off roader Land Rover made in terms of capability. I am about to find out if their best is good enough for Morocco.
To mitigate some potential disasters I bought a relatively simple L405, it's ‘just’ a 3.0 diesel Vogue, so no hydraulic anti roll, and the small V6 has some room around it unlike the V8s. Easier to see a rod through the side of the block, haha.
So my Range Rover (I have to admit I like saying that, much smugness) is a two owner car with decent enough history, in a fetching shade of gold, with 21 inch wheels, panoramic roof, TVs, fridge and side steps. Motorsport vibes: fully absent! Although strangely it was fitted with General Grabber all terrain tyres. A matching set which I read as an owner who has used it as intended (a vet, with a VERY nice house outside Tunbridge Wells).
Step 1: service! Sadly I couldn't see any evidence of a cambelt change, so that was a big one as it's part of a 112k mile service that includes a belt on the rear of the engine for the fuel pump. Lots of labour required. My local specialist couldn't fit me in for weeks, so I had to use Sytner. Fawning service, but OMG expensive. I had noticed an occasional judder on low speed tight turns and diagnosed that correctly with forum browsing as the transfer case fluid needing to be replaced and a calibration performed. Sure enough, that fixed it.
Step 2: wheels and tyres. I wanted as much sidewall as possible, but the minimum wheel size is limited to 19s I believe. There might be expensive aftermarket 18s that fit, or a Defender brake swap that would allow them, but I needed a cheap and OEM solution. The OEM 19 inch wheels are narrow, 7.5J for a 235 tyre. They're also set quite far into the wheel arches and look a bit lost to me. However, L663 Defender 19 inch wheels are 8J and have 255/65 tyres, often seen with road-oriented Continentals which look very baloon-ey. This outside diameter is close to 32 inches which is a bit bigger than L405. I didn't want to risk having a car that wouldn't move if the air suspension failed due to oversize tyres rubbing, so I compromised with 255/60. This is the same diameter a L405 should have, they just never offered this size from the factory on a 19. Tyres: proper all terrains (i.e. 50:50 road / off-road) was the goal, not mud terrains. Ideally I would have had BF Goodrich K02s a la Cayenne thread, but they don't make them in 19 inch. But Comforser make something that looks exactly like a K02 for less than half the price. What the hell is a Comforser CF1100 I hear you ask… basically a Chinese rip-off of a K02. I hate buying ‘budget’ tyres but these seem to get good reviews from people who have used them, even after using K02s. So, fingers crossed.
Step 3: remaining bits of service work. Front pads, new wheel nuts, diff oil front and rear, and a gearbox oil and filter change.
Step 4: bolt a second, OEM aluminium engine undertray directly under the original, doubling the thickness to 5mm. Maybe I should have fitted a third, at £50 on eBay they are cheap enough to do it.
How does it drive? Sweeter ride and steering on 19s than 21s for sure, it's a lovely, wafty, imperious thing. My daughter loves it. The tyres do hum above 60 but it's an expected trade off. The only annoyance is a speed and engine load related vibration. 70 on the flat or downhill is fine, but uphill there is a rumble, a flutter, a wobble… I don't know how to describe it other than it comes through the body rather than the wheel. I mentioned it to Sytner but they didn't notice anything (probably no hills near them to try at speed). Having browsed forums, it might be the rear diff.
I'm writing this in a hotel room in the middle of Spain, and tomorrow we head to Almeria to meet the other 169 teams ready to take on the Marco Challenge. I will update this as and when I can. My goal is to finish and drive home, not to risk everything and break it. Not least because my navigator is my 15 year old daughter!
Big thanks to Matt (aka poppopbangbang) for spending an hour with me recently to answer my questions and impart as much first hand Maroc experience as possible. Invaluable. And I'm loving my ARB compressor, thanks for the tip!
I have a full size spare under the boot floor (a Land Rover key attribute) and a second spare tyre without a wheel lying flat in the boot. It serves as a useful storage space for odds and ends, and the ARB compressor in a box in the middle of it. It fits perfectly, jammed in between the lower boot flap, the cubby hole on the right, and a plastic storage box which in turn is jammed into the other corner.
We are nearly in Almeria, excitement grew on the journey down as we started to see other Maroc Challengers.
As we are a bit incognito in the Range Rover we pulled alongside and waved the Maroc guide book at them. Their faces lit up in recognition, much smiling and thumbs up.
Also spotted a P38 Rangie and 2 Seat Marbellas (Pandas). They looked very slow and vulnerable on the motorway.
Anyway we have just filled up and are having a final taste of European civilization (KFC in a shopping mall). I have to keep my navigator on side
We are nearly in Almeria, excitement grew on the journey down as we started to see other Maroc Challengers.
As we are a bit incognito in the Range Rover we pulled alongside and waved the Maroc guide book at them. Their faces lit up in recognition, much smiling and thumbs up.
Also spotted a P38 Rangie and 2 Seat Marbellas (Pandas). They looked very slow and vulnerable on the motorway.
Anyway we have just filled up and are having a final taste of European civilization (KFC in a shopping mall). I have to keep my navigator on side
Well, we have assembled in Almeria port and I appear to have brought a silver service dinner set to a knife fight 
This probably best sums up the difference in vehicle classes:
It's the first time I've been in a ferry port that smells and sounds like a race track paddock, fresh rubber and fuel, revving of engines. Mixed with every Spaniard's cigarette smoke of course.
Boarding took ages but not as long as immigration and vehicle admin... welcome to Africa!
This probably best sums up the difference in vehicle classes:
It's the first time I've been in a ferry port that smells and sounds like a race track paddock, fresh rubber and fuel, revving of engines. Mixed with every Spaniard's cigarette smoke of course.
Boarding took ages but not as long as immigration and vehicle admin... welcome to Africa!
EdmondDantes said:
Incredible! Is that a Renault Megane Scenic 4x4 to the right of the Patrol?
RX4 maybe? The xmod was 2wd, lol!http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2025021992...
Amazed there is not more interest in this brilliant thread!
Now at the hotel in Saidia. The crossing was uneventful apart from the queuing.
We seem to have brought British weather with us, 18 degrees and occasional showers:
Waiting to disembark:
We had arranged local insurance via the organisation but were told to collect it in customs. Of course, we breezed through customs wondering what the score was and ended up on the streets of Nador uninsured. Hmm, what to do? Carry on regardless or hang around? I spotted the Mercedes course car outside a restaurant and sure enough, they had it:
100 euros later, on our way, initially through the scrappy sh*thole that is Nador, smell of rotting fish in the air, stray dogs, SIM car hawkers, many speed bumps and that malevolent air of a 'border town', we escaped into the countryside. Goats, donkeys, agriculture, ancient Mercedes... petit taxis of all kinds... My daughter commented it looks like a zombie apocalypse... "it gets better the further you go from people" I reassured her.
70km later we took a quick detour to recce this evening's beach 'prologue' stage. First donuts to me
Since I haven't actually driven the RR off road yet it seemed necessary... terrain response to sand, DSC off, give it a bootful and she can boogie.
We are now reunited with the other teams at the hotel. I am in love with this, it has a wonderful V8 woofle and has been prepared beautifully:
We seem to have brought British weather with us, 18 degrees and occasional showers:
Waiting to disembark:
We had arranged local insurance via the organisation but were told to collect it in customs. Of course, we breezed through customs wondering what the score was and ended up on the streets of Nador uninsured. Hmm, what to do? Carry on regardless or hang around? I spotted the Mercedes course car outside a restaurant and sure enough, they had it:
100 euros later, on our way, initially through the scrappy sh*thole that is Nador, smell of rotting fish in the air, stray dogs, SIM car hawkers, many speed bumps and that malevolent air of a 'border town', we escaped into the countryside. Goats, donkeys, agriculture, ancient Mercedes... petit taxis of all kinds... My daughter commented it looks like a zombie apocalypse... "it gets better the further you go from people" I reassured her.
70km later we took a quick detour to recce this evening's beach 'prologue' stage. First donuts to me
Since I haven't actually driven the RR off road yet it seemed necessary... terrain response to sand, DSC off, give it a bootful and she can boogie.
We are now reunited with the other teams at the hotel. I am in love with this, it has a wonderful V8 woofle and has been prepared beautifully:
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